He turned back to me, now almost across the room. He was distancing himself from me.
"Even after I started to doubt whether I could make you want me the way I wanted you, I decided it didn't matter. I'd take you broken, if that was the only way I could have you."
I started to relax just a hair. This would be okay.
"But then, at every turn, you cut me off."
"I just need time," I said.
"No, you don't. Or you shouldn't. When you care for someone, you don't want to waste time."
"But I'm younger than you, it's different."
"You're old enough. If time were the problem, I could wait forever. But it's not."
"I don't understand why you are acting like this. So, now what? I marry you or you're done with me?"
"No, we're just done." He turned and walked toward his room. He didn't bother to look at me as he uttered his final words. "I'll arrange for you to get a room on Dodd's floor."
Why was he doing this? I didn't call after him. I didn't get up and pack my things. I just sat there, frozen, as the last certain thing in my life was ripped from my grasp.
Cormac was done with me?
Chapter Twelve
"She's awake and speaking," Dark said as he burst into the penthouse living room at nine the next morning. I was having coffee and nursing my horrible evening hangover, this one having nothing to do with booze, as I wondered how many more mornings I'd have before I was booted. Had Cormac really been serious or was this just a bully tactic he was using on me? My emotions felt like raw skin that was sensitive to the slightest touch.
"Huh?" I asked.
"Colleen, she's awake."
I splashed my coffee on myself in my rush to stand and get moving. Dark waited for me by the door.
"Did she say anything?" I asked as we both got into the elevator. I hated the elevator but I wanted to get to Colleen as quickly as possible.
"She just woke."
"Are you okay?" I asked, since we had maybe a whole minute of downtime waiting for the elevator to get to the seventh floor. This was the first time I'd seen him since we'd both gotten back.
"A little sore, no biggy. When the change is forced, it makes the muscles hurt." He cracked his neck as he spoke.
"What exactly happened?"
"I've been feeling it just beneath the surface since New York. Stress can force the change. I should've been able to keep control of it, even with the additional strain, but there's something about this new world that's making it harder."
"Everything is harder these days," I said, as I looked at him in his t-shirt and ripped jeans. He looked like a carefree young guy if you didn't look closely, or didn't know him well. But the strain was there, in the down turned corners of his mouth and the weariness of his eyes.
"I know it's screwing with you, too." He smiled then, but it was the smile of co-commiseration, with no real happiness behind it. "Besides, the human vaporizer trick, I hear you've got a bit of a drinking problem these days."
"I don't have a drinking problem. I've got a shitty life problem and I'm self medicating because we've lost our only real doctor and we're out of antidepressants."
"We've all got shitty lives," Dark said. "My life sucks, too."
I grabbed his arm and turned him to face me so I could make sure he understood my next words. "Dark, I destroyed the world as we know it."
It took him a second but then he shrugged in acceptance. "Dodd's got a couple of extra bottles of whiskey, if you're running low."
"Thank you. I appreciate the support."
The doors slid open just in time for me to stop dwelling on the complete mess everything was. I stepped out into the hallway and remembered exactly where I needed to go. When I got to the room, the Fae doctor was already there and so was Cormac. Burrom was standing back along the wall.
Looking at Cormac, I searched for some sign that last night had just been one of our tiffs, and he hadn't been serious. He didn't even look at me. When he did look up, his gaze passed over me as if I weren’t there. I looked down at Colleen, to avoid staring at him.
"She doesn’t look awake," I said, watching the girl lie lifeless on the bed. The moment I spoke the words, her purple eyes fluttered open.
I leaned down next to her and took her hand. "Colleen?"
She pulled her hand back, looking wary, and I let it go. "Does anyone know if she has any family?" I asked.
"No," Colleen answered for herself and I watched as she tried to pull herself into a sitting position. I wanted to help but I was afraid to touch her again. The way she was eyeing up Cormac was probably the reason he wasn't approaching her either.
Dark took the initiative and stepped around me to help her. She didn't look very comfortable with him either, but she didn't pull back.
"What happened?" Cormac asked and I could see the girl's eyes open just a hair bigger. "Colleen, you need to tell us," he continued. I watched as he started to lean forward over the bed.
The girl's eyes darted to Dark and then shifted back to Cormac.
Bullying was just going to shut this girl down, but I found I was somewhat afraid to speak to Cormac. I didn't know if I could handle him outright ignoring me in front of everyone. "Cormac, I need you to check on something with me. She's okay. Let's give her some space."
Our eyes truly met for the first time. I held my breath as he hesitated. He might really be done with me and it made my head spin. Finally, after a couple of tense moments, he nodded and followed me out of the room, throwing a last glance at Dark that told him he better get the desired information.
"She would've talked," he said once we were a healthy distance away down the hall.
"I'm not doubting your ability to intimidate, but wouldn't it be nice if we got the information without traumatizing the girl further?"
"Only if it doesn't take too long." He still wasn't looking at me when he spoke, but walking down the hall.
"Where are you going?" I asked.
"To check on the field."
I followed him down the stairs to the main floor, not speaking. We walked through what used to be the casino floor that had recently developed makeshift divides. There were Fae selling magical charms in one corner and humans selling goods they had scavenged in another. Werewolves were lingering here and there. I'd heard a rumor they were offering protection in return for food and other items, but I hadn't had it confirmed. Right now, it was still just an unsettling rumor.
Stares fleetingly landed on me as we passed through but moved quickly on to a different subject with Cormac by my side.
Cormac was a whole other type of problem. I'd never had someone accept me so fully, who made me feel safe even in chaos and then hurt me so badly. It felt like my soul was being ripped into little pieces. I wanted him, but I was having a hard time resigning myself to what he'd done, what he would still be willing to do. And now, I didn't have words for what it felt like to know he could just cut me out of his world like this. Had I ever even really meant anything to him? If I did, how could he be acting this coldly toward me?
I followed him outside and around the side of the building to the larger area. The cement had been torn up and sod was being laid down in its place. It had probably been torn up from the front yards of houses that no longer had residents. A small doll was lying in the heap of grass they hadn't gotten to yet. I hoped it was hastily abandoned on their way to a safer place and not the bleak alternative.
"It's not a huge area but I figured I'd send the next scouts out to see if they could round up some chickens. If a storm comes in, they're building a ramp over there that leads into the casino and will shelter them from the storm."
"How did you get so many people to help?" I asked looking at the twenty or so men laying the recycled grass.
"They liked it better than the work detail they currently have."
He's showing me what he's up to. Maybe he wasn't done. Maybe I just had to throw him a bone?
"Thanks for showing me," I sa
id, smiling as sweetly as I could.
"We had a couple of minutes to kill." His face was stone.
Cormac's phone lit up and he answered it quickly. "Okay," he replied briefly into the phone and hung up. "Dark's got our answers."
I watched him walk back toward the casino, leaving me to follow…or not. I did, but I wasn't following him, I told myself. What was the point? He was really done. The guy had shot me, bullied me and was an all-around ass, sometimes. I wasn't going to be some idiot with Stockholm syndrome. If he couldn't take it slow, then I didn't want him either.
Chapter Thirteen
"She didn't want to admit that she was different, one of the changed," Dark told the two of us as we sat on the couch back in the penthouse.
"Did you tell her the purple eyes were a dead giveaway?" Cormac said.
First he kicks me out and now he's stealing my lines?
"I didn't know this, but the humans have been getting aggressive toward the changed," Dark continued.
I looked down. If I hadn't been such a wimp I might have known, but I'd been avoiding the humans. I walked through their areas but not among them. I'd stopped trying to talk to them.
"Does she know where they went?" I asked just as Dodd burst into the room.
"What did you get?" Dodd asked. "Do you know where Sabrina is?"
"Let me just explain this from the beginning. Sabrina had contacted the other people on the list, who were all changed. She explained the situation to them. There was no coercion at all, she simply told them what was at stake and what was being requested by the senator. They agreed to think about it, meet the next day and make a group decision.
"The humans have been getting a bit unfriendly toward the changed and lumping them in with anything not human. They were getting some of the blowback directed toward us, who they view as the cause of all this. That being said, we can all understand the additional motivation to leave.
"They all met and decided to go. Sabrina spoke to Oslo to coordinate the logistics, because she knew you wouldn't agree to this," Dark looked at Cormac. "Or you," he added, looking at Dodd. "It gets interesting here. They were all afraid to leave at night but Oslo informed them that the rippers weren't a threat to the changed. They only feed on non-magical beings."
It was just like Burrom had thought, but it still didn't completely fit. "What about the Keepers that were eaten that first evening?" I asked. "That doesn't make sense."
"I asked Colleen, but she didn't know enough about that to question what she was being told."
I didn't doubt it. The humans hadn't been included in a lot of the meetings and no one wanted to talk about that night. Only one issue remained. "Sabrina knew. Why would she not question it?"
"I have no answer for that," Dark said. "Maybe she did but Colleen doesn’t know."
"So what happened between then and when we found her?" Dodd said, not caring about anything else.
"They left at three in the morning, with Oslo leading the way. They made it to Fire Valley, where they were attacked by a group of humans that were also changed. Colleen didn't know how many. It was dark and they'd been avoiding using any lights."
"How did she know they were changed?" Dodd asked in full interrogation mode.
"One of them had wings and another breathed fire."
"Yeah, that would do it," I said.
"She said in the chaos, she didn't see everything that went down. The changed with the wings was the one that tried to take her. His fingers grew talons when she tried to get away. Then, while she was struggling, a bolt of lightning came out of nowhere and hit him. When it hit him, his talons clenched and dug into her, causing the puncture wounds she has.
"She thinks she did it somehow, because he was holding her when it happened and she wasn't affected by it."
"So where was this creature then? He didn't die?" Dodd asked.
"She heard who she thought was the leader scream to leave her behind. They grabbed their wounded guy and left."
"Does she know where they went?" Dodd pressed.
"No, only has a vague direction."
Dodd, who'd been pacing the room, slammed his fist down on the bar.
"This isn't bad. Now we know where to start and we also know who to send," Cormac said. "I want an examination of every person here. We need an exact count of the changed."
"We can't force them to come," I said preemptively.
The look on his face said otherwise. "I feed and shelter them. I can do whatever I please." He ignored the look on my face and looked back at the guys. "Dark, start seeing what you can dig up."
Dark got up to leave and Dodd went with him. No one had time to sit around these days, with the way things were going.
"Dodd, I need a minute before you go back," Cormac said, halting him before he left.
"Sure, what's up?"
Cormac looked at me and I instantly knew what this was about. He was waiting for me to tell Dodd I needed a room on his floor. He was letting me ask, to save face. He didn't seem to care it was going to crush me to do it. Did he think I could turn to stone, like he had?
I looked at Cormac. Nothing. Not a glimmer of regret. Not a glimmer of anything for that matter.
I cleared my throat. "I'm going to need another room."
Dodd's jaw dropped as his eyes shot from mine to Cormacs.
I cleared my throat before I continued. "Cormac thought your floor would be a good idea, but I've got another arrangement in mind."
It took Dodd a second to speak. "Okay, just let me know." He hightailed it out of the room quicker than I'd ever seen.
"Where are you going?" Cormac asked, the second Dodd shut the door.
"Not your problem," I said, rage starting to replace the hurt I was feeling. I left him standing there to go pack my bags. I wouldn't spend another night in this penthouse. I wish I could say the same thing about the whole casino, but there wasn't much help for that yet. Maybe after we found Sabrina.
Chapter Fourteen
Cormac asked all human refugees to report to the seventh floor where Burrom and his people would check for an unusual amount of magic. Not just magic, but unusual amounts. Some humans had a certain small amount of magic naturally, even in normal times. They would be called psychics, seers, freak shows, or maybe just weird Aunt Sally. The guess was that it was mostly these humans that were now the changed.
Not a single person showed up. From the way I heard they'd been treated lately, I didn't blame them one iota. It was supposed to be confidential, but when a floor full of people saw you get branded as magical, there was no way it was staying secret.
Next, Cormac demanded it. He sent Burrom and his not so merry crew out amongst them, to document every human with an abnormal amount of magic. It was no secret why Burrom had agreed to help. He was as crafty as they came, always keeping his options open, looking at every angle. And the one thing I've learned about Burrom was he liked power, not because he wanted to take over, but because he was old and smart and knew how to survive. I understood why he was one of the few people on a very short list of those Cormac respected, even if he didn't exactly like him.
I wasn't sure about trusting Burrom myself, after the other night's debacle. I was running at a deficit in the trust department, which was why on Monday morning, I was following him around from human to human. One thing I already knew for sure, being part of the magical Gestapo wasn't doing a lot for my current social standing, especially since everyone seemed to already know I'd moved onto Burrom's floor.
I'd shown up there yesterday with a hastily packed bag like a beggar. I knew he'd take me in and I knew it was one of the last places Cormac would want me to go. Too bad for him. You don't get to kick someone out and then dictate where they move; even Cormac couldn't pull that off. Well, he might be able to with most people, but I wasn't going to let him.
My room was a bit of a shock to me. It was the only room Burrom had open and it looked like it had been done over with a medieval castle in mind. Burrom tried
to tell me it had spontaneously looked like that one day, which was why no one wanted it. My guess was someone who was good at charms was having a little fun with the casino decor.
Walking down the hallway with him now, I spotted another patch of stone. Patch might be downplaying a spot that reached from floor to ceiling, six feet wide.
"Burrom, you've to get your people to stop doing this," I said as my hand ran over stone that felt alarmingly real to the touch.
"Not my people."
"Who's doing it then?"
"Not sure, and don't care. I'm more concerned that you don't trust me, Jo," Burrom said as we worked through the room check. "It hurts me, Jo, that you would think so little of me. I thought when you decided to move in we were forming a real bond."
I almost snorted at his comment. Burrom was as thick skinned as they came. Nothing hurt his feelings and my lack of trust for him was becoming one of his favorite jokes. "Am I wrong?"
"I didn't say that," he replied with his own chuckle as we hung back and waited for the female Fae with us to knock on the door of the ninth floor and ask for admittance.
The people inside didn't answer but we knew they were in there. The female Fae, Angela, read them the same warning we had been giving out since we began. "If you don't open up, this room will have the locks changed by this evening and you will be forced to find new lodgings outside of the casino."
We waited the five minutes it took most of them to open. Earlier in the day, one group made us wait fifteen minutes. At sixteen minutes, Burrom had scared them with some crazy Fae mojo that made them think the room was on fire. They'd run right out. The other humans must have been listening at the doors or something. The rest of that floor was a breeze after that.
The door finally creaked open to reveal what appeared to be a young husband and wife, with what might once have been a human toddler. It was hard to tell, with the black fur and the hissing, if a child was indeed still under there.
Shattered (Alchemy Series Book #3) Page 8
